After nearly four decades of dance, Philadanco still promises a fresh mix of material

Philadanco's Founder and Executive Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown has a big, warm, sunny-sounding voice. She speaks to me from a Boston tour stop, where her modern dance company is booked for a three-night run. Mobile phone to mobile phone, we chat.

Philadanco, also known formally as Philadelphia Dance Company, stands out as one of the country’s top primarily African-American modern dance ensembles. This weekend, Contemporary Dance Theater brings Philadanco’s powerhouse performers to the Aronoff Center for a pair of shows. Being a repertory company — one that performs works by various choreographers rather than by a single namesake leader — has enabled Philadanco’s Founder and Executive Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown to work with some of the best in the business. They are often compared with Alvin Ailey’s legendary company because they use some of the same choreographers. 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

It’s the perfect weekend for the world premiere of Cincinnati Ballet Associate Artistic Director Devon Carney’s Dracula at the Aronoff Center. The production is based on the famed Bram Stoker novel that Carney mentions has never been out of print since its original 1887 publication. Literary works form the narrative basis for ballets frequently enough, but because the book is largely comprised of letters and journal entries, it presents extra challenges. Still, Carney says he leapt at this opportunity to choreograph his first full-length ballet.Replete with brand-new costumes created by the Ballet’s in-house studio and adapted sets originally from BalletMet in Columbus, the ballet promises to be visually lavish in its sweeping gothic drama and technically demanding — even thrilling — choreography. $21-$73. Additional performances 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday.

Expect the unexpected at Cincinnati's "New Works"

One aspect of contemporary dance I appreciate is that, for the most part, you can never really be certain of what you're going to see. This notion also becomes a reason why too many people avoid it: They don't know what to expect; perhaps they fear they won't get it.

[cool moves]

Dance multi-hyphenate Heather Britt has a full plate this fall: a new full-time professorship in Northern Kentucky University’s Department of Theater and Dance, where she’s teaching Jazz; choreographing student productions; and run ning the school’s new outreach endeavor, the Dance for Fitness Troupe.